Tips
General Tips *Additional Credits can be acquired for free by collecting "Credit Cards" or by watching videos (ads) on the World Map. *If you are online, nobody can hack you. If you are playing continuously for more than 3 hours, others can connect to your network and you will be disconnected until their hack ends. *Learning how nodes look at different levels will enable you to accurately assess the damage needed to capture them and how much damage they deal in return. *As of Patch v1.034, Simulations no longer provide credit towards Daily Challenges. Building and Upgrading Tips *Balance your Security Nodes and Business Nodes: **If you build only Business Nodes, you will be an easy target for players, and you may not be able to effectively defend yourself. **If you improve only Security Nodes, you will quickly run out of resources. Your network will also be vulnerable, as nodes that are upgrading cannot defend the network. *The total number of nodes you can build is limited (it increases with level of Core node) - plan your network and consider what you can build next. *It is usually better to upgrade a smaller number of nodes at a time. Upgrade too many defenses at the same time and your network will be vulnerable. Upgrade too many resources generators at the same time and you will not receive income to hack others. *Deleting a node will not remove the experience gained from upgrading and building it. Once the core level is increased, you can leave a newly built node at low levels, which acts as a chokepoint and prevents potential experience gain. Brute Force Tips * There is no perfect attack strategy - experiment with how programs work during hacks and how networks respond. * It is good to "know your enemy" - try and recognize level of nodes by visuals and to know how the network will behave when attacked. Look at things like how fast Sentry and Guardians are working, how long it takes to take down a Code Gate etc. This skill will come with time and experience. * Likewise, "know yourself". Try to be efficient in your attacks. Look at program strength vs. price vs. library space. It is cheaper and faster to hack a node with three Beam Cannons rather than two Beam Cannons and an ICE Wall - if your programs are strong enough. * Choose your targets wisely - before attacking, check the player's level, available resources and the strength of their defenses. * Don't be afraid to compile programs against a specific network rather than adopting a "one size fits all" approach. As you progress, different networks will require a different attack strategy. * Most business and hacking nodes have a firewall regeneration of 2% per second, while most security nodes have a regeneration of 1% per second. The exceptions are the Core with 1% per second, the Code Gate with 2% per second, and the Evolver with 3% per second. This can make a surprising difference when hacking a strong node with relatively weak programs. *Shocker and Blaster can prevent firewall regeneration on nodes which take a long time to capture, such as Code Gates, Black ICE, or the Core. *Shuriken can bypass attack priorities, allowing weak nodes to be taken quickly while more difficult ones remain. *Beam Cannon installed at the right time can focus on a more desirable node of lower priority even after other higher priority targets become available. *Worms can save programs and time by capturing weaker nodes and ones of less importance *Kraken can save space in libraries with its duplication and on nodes with its convergence, all while consolidating power, which is particularly useful against Code Gates and other tough nodes en route to the Core. *Maniac can capture nodes very quickly, which is useful to break through chokepoints or high firewall nodes protected by Guardians. Stealth Tips * Be quick! Even if you are just watching, the network is getting closer to find and uncover you with every second. * If there is no Scanner node, the network is very vulnerable to a Stealth attack. At higher levels, an attacker is able to install numerous instances of Access programs, multiple Wraiths and one Portal - enough to reach a deeply positioned Core and disable the strongest defenses, even before main timer starts. ** Sentry with Portal installed is considered owned by attacker at start of brute force attack, and will not spread its antivirus unless captured. * All daily challenges can be completed using stealth. * Strong defense trapped between two chokepoints, especially two Code Gates are vulnerable to Wraiths that disable the chokepoints. * A base which has path to avoid a Code Gate will greatly reduce effectiveness of scanner, it is strongly recommended to use the path if possible. *If the only working scanner node is not behind any Code Gate, disabling it will greatly reduce visibility cost in passing through Code Gates behind. This does not work if reaching scanner will cost large amount of visibilty or is far from the quickest path to the resource. *Scanner and Code Gate do not work during an upgrade - use this to your advantage! *Code Gates slow down installation of the Access program. However, the installation time of Wraiths is not affected. Use a Wraith first to disable the Code Gate, and then install Access. Do not install both programs simultaneously. *Data Leech has a low visibility rate. Putting them quickly and evenly on separated nodes will save time, the passive network detection rate is similar to rate of a Leech which means time is critical in stealing more resources. *Data Leech can be used at nodes adjacent to nodes being installed with Access. If a node is adjacent to multiple resource node, installing Access into it will allow multiple Data Leeches to steal simultaneously, and save potential Access programs. * Stealth can be treated as art or science - it is a good idea to master both, by using trial and error enough to get a feel for what will work best, and doing a little math to figure out the most you can do in exact scenarios. * Access can be used to gain full control in some cases * Wraith can prevent antivirus from spreading from a node or firewall from regenerating Program Compilation Tips *Since a player can still be hacked after logging in for 3 hours, it is advised to compile a bunch of programs with long compiling time before going offline, including Wraith and Portal. This will lessen time spent between hacks. *If a player intends to keep his B-coin storage empty, he can compile some expensive programs taking little space including Access. *Depending on the level of Compiler, certain combination of programs and compiling orders can cost significantly less time than inefficient ones. For instance Compiler LV2 is unsuitable to compile three wraiths between hacks, since one last wraith will cost extra 15 minutes before a hack involving 3 wraiths is ready. A compiler LV3 can however start and finish compiling three wraiths simultaneously. However pre-compiled wraiths does not cost any online time and still allows hacks involving 3 wraiths in this case. The fastest compilation time can always be achieved by queuing programs in order of longest compilation time to shortest. *If a single search provides you with two or more suitable targets, and you have a large enough Program Library, you can save time by starting a hack while programs that can be used to hack subsequent bases are compiling. This will enable you to save a few minutes, as programs will still compile while you are hacking. Programs that finish compiling while you are mid-hack will not be added until after the hack. *Simulations do not use up compiled programs. Loading Screen Tips * The Battering Ram program was designed to smash through a Code Gate. * Code Gate also slows down the Access program installation. * Bigger programs overwrite your smaller ones on a full node during a fight. * Defensive programs like ICE Wall or Protector overwrite other programs if there is no empty slot during a fight. * Downloading the Core database gives you access to the ReadMe file, where you can leave a message. * netConnection node doesn't count towards your Total Nodes limit. * Purchase more Building Threads to build or upgrade more nodes at a time. * While using the Access program, Sentries are not alarmed to fast. * If two Scanners detect the same activity, only the one on a higher level counts. * An upgraded Compiler can compile more than one program at a time. * Connect the Sentry node in such a way as to allow it to easily spread its antivirus program when intrusion is detected. * The ICE Wall program is very useful in protecting nodes you have already hacked. * Bored waiting for valuable data to download? Use the Data Leech program to transfer data faster. * You can rearrange the network by simply pulling nodes. * Protector can give you a lot of time to slice through an aggressive network security. * Code Gates are great at slowing down an intruder. * A red number on a node means it is ready to upgrade. * By upgrading the Evolver you will unlock new programs for development. * The higher the level of your Core node, the longer it takes to download the main database. * Nodes can't be more then 9 steps from the closest netConnection. * The Shuriken program hacks all neighbour nodes at the same time. * As you progress, upgrading programs will get really handy. * The faster you take down Sentry nodes the better. * When you reconnect a netConnection to another node, the old link disappears. * Installations of any non-stealth program alerts the network instantly. * Keep an eye on the World Map. You may find some Credits or Credit Cards "abandoned" on the internet. * Click on button to find out detailed info about programs and nodes. * Data Leech can also be installed on a node accessed by the Access program. * Add more Building Threads to a single node to speed up its construction. * Does the network have all its security nodes in one place? Freeze them with the Shocker program. * Lower visibility of stealth programs is better for not being detected. * You may install more than one program on each node you control. Other Tips Business Node Tips * Core - Database - netConnection Security Node Tips * Black ICE - Code Gate - Guardian - Scanner - Sentry - Turret Hacking Node Tips * Evolver - Program Library Program Tips * Battering Ram - Data Leech - Kraken - ICE Wall - Maniac - Portal - Protector - Worms - Wraith Offensive Tips * Attack Priorities - Offensive Strategies - Hacks Defensive Tips * Net Building - Defensive Strategies